Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families in a tragic incident that is still unfolding. In Colorado, a gunman kicked in an emergency door and threw in tear gas, then as everyone started running he open fired killing at least 12 and injuring 50+ people. The motives of this tragic shooting are still unclear, but what is clear is the damage that has been done in such a short time. Police officers were at the movie theater before the shooting started offering crowd control for the release of the new Batman movie: The Dark Knight Rises. It brings to mind the common saying, “When seconds count, the police are minutes away”. I’m not placing any blame on the officers, but simply saying that they are not physically capable of responding to most life or death situations until it’s too late–in this case even when they are at the scene. Carrying your own weapon is the best way to defend yourself–make sure that you take responsibility for your own safety.

Which brings me to another thought: the tactics of defending yourself when surrounded by massive chaos and people running everywhere. Not having a firearm would certainly be worse than having one, but would you personally be able to use it effectively in this type of situation? In a restaurant, movie theater, mall, grocery store or some other highly populated area would you be able to either get out of the situation or use your firearm to stop the threat? In this particular case there was horrible lighting, tear gas, and people running everywhere. As you go around daily life, one thing that you can do to help is to visualize various threats that could occur and walk through what you can do in your head. Think about the trajectory of your shots and where they would end up to help determine what would happen with each of the shots you take. Additional training classes will help you be better prepare to use your firearm in different situations. Anything you can do to help could be the difference between life or death. As another common saying goes, “I’d rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it”.

Rob is the Founder, Editor, and writer for You Can Carry. He became interested in concealed carry, self-defense, and emergency/personal preparation as he got married and had his first kid. His new-found desire to protect his family and keep them safe led him to getting a concealed firearm permit from the state of Utah, which began an increasing love for firearms and concealed carry. He is a NRA Certified Pistol Instructor and a Utah Concealed Firearms Permit Instructor. Connect with Rob on Google+